Mortal Kombat: Deception makes its debut!In a fashion similar to the many
MK games of the past, Midway
has once again revealed loads of information and multimedia about its 6th
official installment to the MK series, Mortal Kombat: Deception.
I personally feel that all of this has come out way too early to give the
game any last chance of surprising us , but I guess you have to quench
people's taste for information. Anyway, a large recap of what has
happened since MK: Deception's first appearance in mid-January is described
below... enjoy:

- Midway officially announces its
next MK title on February 27th in a press release. The game will
be called Mortal Kombat:
Deception (legally trademarked on January 7th). From
the press release: "Midway Games
Inc. (NYSE: MWY), a leading software industry publisher and developer,
today announced that the official title for the new version of the world-renowned
fighting game franchise will be Mortal Kombat: Deception. Mortal Kombat:
Deception is currently in development and scheduled to ship fall 2004 for
the PlayStation(R)2 computer entertainment system and the Xbox(R) video
game system from Microsoft." "Shocking and
evil, Mortal Kombat: Deception pushes martial arts-style fighting and the
Mortal Kombat franchise to new heights with an innovative fighting system,
unparalleled depth and brutally intense action that will appeal to long-time
Mortal Kombat fans as well as next-generation gamers. The game features
lightning-fast hand-to-hand and special weapons combat, secret and returning
characters, moves and combinations with new death-dealing battles and fatalities." "Mortal Kombat:
Deception promises to take this revolutionary fighting franchise to an
new level", said Steve Allison, chief marketing officer, Midway. "With
a host of new features including multiple fatalities per character, multi-tiered
interactive backgrounds and extensive new game modes, Mortal Kombat: Deception
will set a precedent for all other fighting games to follow."

- Prospective release date is Fall,
2004 for the XBox and Playstation 2 game consoles. These dates always
change, however.- Midway launches the official
MK:
Deception web site, which contains a flash intro and the exclusive
GameSpot uncensored
video trailer of Deception's story and some gameplay footage of a stage
fatality.- The first render from MK: Deception
was of Baraka, first revealed at the Mortal
Kombat Online site.- Though still surrounded by much
debate, the game looks as if it will not be released for the GameCube
system due to no online capabilities and lower sales of MK: DA on the Nintendo
platform. The game will also not be released for the Game
Boy Advance.- New features include a storyline
that picks up where MK :DA left off, multiple fatalities per character,
new game modes, multi-tiered interactive backgrounds, realistic damage,
multiple stage fatalities, better weapons and unarmed combat styles, background
weapons that are usable and very powerful, and more.- MK: Deception is capable of online
play!- Konquest mode is much more detailed.
You start as a customizable monk, going through as many as 6 villages and
completing tasks and lessons to build up your skills and powers to create
your own customized warrior, with the help of characters like Bo Rai Cho.
You can then use this warrior to fight in the game or online. There
are many secrets hidden in this mode as well.- Each character also has a Hari-Kiri
move - a suicide fatality!- The April, 2004 issue of PSM
magazine has a ten-page spread revealing the first big updates
for MK: Deception, which also graces the magazine's cover.- IGN.com
has posted many articles
and pictures pertaining to the game.- GameSpot
also has in-depth previews
of the game, along with the MK: Deception trailer video available for download- The new mini games appear to
be a chess-like strategy game, and a game that resembles Tetris/Puzzle
Fighter... MK style.- Confirmed returning characters:
Baraka, Scorpion, Sub-Zero, Mileena, Ermac, Noob Saibot, Nightwolf, Sindel,
and Kenshi.- New characters: Hotaru and Ashrah
(female Raiden look-alike).- Confirmed backgrounds: Beetle
Lair, Slaughterhouse (with the meat grinder stage fatality), The Netherbelly
(inside of the Nethership in MK: DA with hanging corpses that can hit you
and people that can grab at you), and Sky Temple.- Areas in stages that can be used
to your advantage are marked in green; danger zones, or "death traps",
are marked in red, which can lead to in-round stage fatalities.- The boss is rumored to be the
Dragon King.- Midway recently held a Gamers
Day conference, where it showed off its 2004 lineup of new video games
and media. MK: Deception obviously took a front seat at the event,
illustrating the new and better direction Midway is taking in the industry.
Check all this out at Gamespy.- Updated news about the new Konquest
mode is available at Playstation.com.- ** Videos **:1.)
Mortal Kombat: Deception Trailer Censored2.)
Mortal Kombat: Deception Trailer Uncensored

This is all the MK: Deception news
for now "in a nutshell". Due to time constraints, however, the MK
Empire WILL NOT UPDATE FREQUENTLY WITH MK: DECEPTION NEWS UNLESS IT IS
SOMETHING REALLY REALLY IMPORTANT! As a result, I urge people who want
daily updates to go to sites like TRMK.org,
DavesMK.com,
or Mortal Kombat Online
(who seem to get news and information before Midway can even speak of it).
These sites also have many previews, screenshots, and magazine scans of
MK: Deception already available for viewing. Thanks for your cooperation.

Vol. II of Midway Arcade Treasures to have
MK classicsJust to let everyone know, Midway
will be putting MK1, MK2, and MK3 onto its Midway Arcade Treasures, Vol.
II disc to be released onto next generation consoles during the 2004 holiday
season. Along with other classics such as NARC, SpyHunter 2, and
Total Carnage, we can now buy direct arcade versions of these older games
to play on a compilation disc in our own homes... sweet.

Site of the Month winner for MarchAfter a long drought, we have a
Site
of the Month winner. Congrats to Richard
Walker of Mortal
Kombat Champions for making such a clean, informative, and
in-depth site for MK fans to browse through. A full description of
his site is available here, and if
you would like your site to be reviewed for the Site of the Month honors,
just fill out the form and see if
you can win. Once again, congrats to Richard on a job well
done.